This invention relates to a method for collecting and disposing of human waste, i.e., urine and feces, from an individual such as a baby, small child or an adult, wherein a disposable urine management device and a disposable fecal management device, are used independently and simultaneously.
It has been known for many years to use disposable devices for collecting and disposing of human waste, in particular from babies and small children, as a domestic use typically, and from adults, both as a domestic and institutional use. Such known disposable devices are for the most part, disposable absorbent diapers equipped with fastening means to secure the diaper to the wearer, ready to wear disposable garments such as training pants, and disposable absorbent pads designed to be kept in place by reusable or disposable pants and panties.
In all these known configurations the disposable devices are designed to cope with both urine and feces, and are described as one-piece devices which cover the entire crotch area of the wearer, spanning the uro-genital and perineal areas.
Disposable diapers having specially designed features to cope with fecal material, both inside the diaper or by connection to an outside receptacle, are well known; however, in all such instances, the proposed diapers are destined to be used as a single implement to collect/dispose of both urine and fecal material and thus destined to cover the entire crotch area of the wearer.
The use of the known disposable absorbent devices of the type described above has, however, proven to create issues relating to skin irritation, due to the close contact to the skin of a relatively large piece of absorbent material and by the fact that the urine and/or feces discharged by the wearer are likely to be kept in contact with the skin of the wearer by the closely fitted absorbent device.
Furthermore, the known devices being constituted of a single article, no method is known in the art to cater independently to both the urine and fecal management needs of a baby, small child, or adult.
Individually, the use of disposable fecal management devices and disposable urine management devices are known. For example, disposable urine management devices are described in EP 0 140 470, WO 85/0328 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,804,377. Disposable fecal management devices are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,577,989 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,784,656.
However, there is no suggestion from the above art to use disposable fecal management devices simultaneously with disposable urine management devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,920,625 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,200,102 describe reusable devices designed to cope with both urine and feces through the use of separate receptacles. Such devices are cumbersome, not disposable and cover the entire crotch area of the wearer.
It has now been discovered that the above issues can be overcome by the simultaneous and independent use of a disposable fecal management device and a disposable urine management device. Such a method of use allows greater flexibility as the devices can be used independently form one another.
The invention is a method for collecting and disposing of urine and fecal excrement from an individual. The method is the simultaneous and independent use of a disposable urine management device and a disposable fecal management device. The disposable urine management device is independently applied in a releasable manner to the uro-genital area of the individual while the disposable fecal management device is independently applied in a releasable manner to the perineal area of the individual.